Ex-town mayor killed in Manila court shooting

A lone gunman sneaked into a crowded hallway near a courtroom at the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) at the Manila City Hall and shot dead a former mayor of a Misamis Occidental town and wounded two others yesterday morning.

Police said Reynaldo Yap, former mayor of Sapang Dalaga, was gunned down while waiting to attend a hearing at around 9 a.m. outside the courtroom of Judge Zenaida Daguna on the fourth floor of the building.

Yap was shot five times in the head and body and died on the way to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).

The wounded were identified as Peter Sabihon Jr., 37, one of Yap’s bodyguards, and Bella Santos, 70, a member of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).

Sabihon sustained a gunshot wound on his back and is now under observation at the PGH, while Santos underwent surgery for bullet wounds on the right chest and leg at the Manila Doctors Hospital.

Investigators said the suspect immediately fled after the shooting and responding policemen failed to find him in the crowded building.

Jail guards escorting other prisoners to various court hearings were not able to run after the gunman for fear the other detainees might escape.

Witnesses told investigators that the gunman, described as between 34 and 39 years old, at least 5’8” tall, weighing at least 200 pounds and with short hair, shot Yap and his bodyguard who were then waiting in the hallway for the start of the  former mayor’s trial. Yap was facing murder charges and was out on bail.

Santos, who was sitting on a bench outside the court, was hit by stray bullets.

Responding policemen cordoned off all entry and exit points in the building.

Manila Police District director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rosales ordered Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) personnel to search every elevator, room and ceiling of the City Hall to search for the gunman.

Yap was supposed to attend a hearing where he faced murder charges along with Virgilio Tactacon and Frankton Yamuta. Yap was allowed to post bail since the evidence against him was weak.

The former mayor was accused of masterminding the killing of rebel returnee Julie Ontolan sometime in 1989.

The case was originally filed at a Misamis Occidental court and has been transferred to three courts in Manila.

Media men were unable to browse through the case folder since it was inside the courtroom of Judge Daguna. Moments later, all the courts closed their offices.

Yap’s children Derby, Hershey, Reggie and Cabby later visited their father’s remains at the PGH.

Operations at the courts and the City Hall were disrupted after the shooting while all entry and exit points were closed while policemen and members of the SWAT unit searched for the suspect. Everybody leaving the building was frisked.

Office operations returned to normal past 11 a.m., when it was evident that the gunman had already escaped.

MPD homicide section commander Chief Inspector Dominador Arevalo Jr. said the gunman was wearing a blue shirt with “police” markings at the back and was armed with a caliber .45 pistol.

Rosales said political vendetta is one of the possible motives for the killing of Yap. However, he stressed that police are not limiting their investigation to a single motive.

“There could be some other motives that could crop up as pieces of evidence and statements of witnesses are gathered,” he said.

At the same time, the brazen daytime attack prompted the police and City Hall officials to beef up security measures. Rosales said Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim will install metal detectors at entry points, while the main entrance would be used exclusively by City Hall employees.

Rosales downplayed theories of lapses in security in the shooting, saying the City Hall is under the security watch of the civilian security force.

He had deployed roving policemen on all floors of City Hall where the courtrooms are located.

Lim admitted there were security lapses at City Hall.

Aside from the policemen detailed at the Manila City Hall detachment, the local government also has 60 security guards but they have been assigned to public markets, bridges, schools, and hospitals. Only 10 guards are actually deployed at City Hall.

Lim ordered an investigation to determine if there were lapses on the part of the policemen.

“We want to know if there was gross negligence in the performance of their duty. The suspect was said to be wearing a police uniform and they were quite lax,” he said.

It also appeared that there were policemen who were at the RTC to attend hearings but they were unable to apprehend the suspect because they were not armed in court premises. It is standard operating procedure that they surrender their firearms to the clerk of court.

Lim expressed confidence that the Manila City Council, under Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, would immediately pass an appropriation measure for the acquisition of the hi-tech security equipment. “I am sure they would prioritize the security measures, no councilor would object.”

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. said that close coordination among the police, personnel of the judiciary, and the local government units should be made to secure courtrooms.

“There must be closer coordination among the police, the personnel of the court and the city hall,” said Razon following the shooting at the Manila RTC.

He said that there was an apparent security lapse after the suspect managed to sneak in a gun inside Cty Hall and court premises.

Razon also ordered the regulation of the sale of police uniforms and other paraphernalia to civilians.

He issued the order following reports that the gunman who attacked Yap at the Manila City Hall wore a shirt with police markings.

“The sale and distribution of police uniforms must be regulated because we have seen people wearing these uniforms even if they are not policemen,” Razon said.

Chief Justice Reynato Puno yesterday called on law enforcement authorities to secure courtrooms and court personnel in the wake of the killing of Yap.

“What happened in Manila, as well as that in Taguig and Quezon City last year, stresses the urgent need for law enforcement authorities to secure our court rooms and our personnel. It is also a reflection of the growing contempt for the rule of law, which has resulted in victim after victim felled by the bullets of criminals who do not fear the consequences of their actions. I implore our law enforcement officials to increase their vigilance in the face if these sad events, and to exert all efforts necessary to apprehend those responsible for these horrible acts,” Puno said.

Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. led the chamber yesterday in condemning the killing of former mayor Yap.

“We lament the increasing number of incidents of crime committed right inside our courts where justice is supposed to be served and respected,” said Villar.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the murder of Yap reflects a breakdown of law and order even in the nation’s capital as a result of the faltering Arroyo presidency.

“This is a sad commentary on the state of law and order under GMA,” he said. - Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Christina Mendez, Mike Frialde